Automated, dynamic digital financial management method and system

ABSTRACT

An automated, dynamic digital financial management tool is described herein. The financial management tool enables a user to access all forms of payments, debt and transactions to be deducted automatically depending on which form of payment is chosen. The financial management tool documents every item/service purchased. The documentation enables a company/manufacturer/store to provide marketing and recall information to the user. The financial management tool is able to include any and/or all financial aspects of a user&#39;s life. The financial management tool is able to be implemented using a universal card. The financial management tool is able to include a pay station to receive payments. The financial management tool is able to include automated services.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to financial management. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to financial managementusing a single device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many people have multiple credit cards and/or debit cards for purchasinggoods. These credit/debit cards have varying rewards and other benefits.Therefore, it is upon the user of the credit/debit cards to determinewhich card to use at which store. Additionally, having multiplecredit/debit cards increases the chances of losing/misplacing one of thecards. Furthermore, many people are highly disorganized when it comes totheir finances, particularly, when their expenses are distributed amongmultiple credit/debit cards and various bank/online accounts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An automated, dynamic digital financial management tool is describedherein. The financial management tool enables a user to access all formsof payments, debt and transactions to be deducted automaticallydepending on which form of payment is chosen. The financial managementtool documents every item/service purchased. The documentation enables acompany/manufacturer/store to provide marketing and recall informationto the user. The financial management tool is able to include any and/orall financial aspects of a user's life. The financial management tool isable to be implemented using a universal card. The financial managementtool is able to include a pay station to receive payments. The financialmanagement tool is able to include automated services.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a flowchart of a method of implementing a managementsystem according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method of utilizing a managementsystem for payment according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a universal card according to someembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a back view of a universal card according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a mobile device according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of a pay station according to someembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an autonomous delivery systemimplementing the management system according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computing deviceconfigured to implement the management system according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An automated, dynamic digital financial management tool is describedherein. The financial management tool enables a user to preload allforms of payments, debt and transactions to be deducted automaticallydepending on which form of payment is chosen. The financial managementtool records/documents every item/service purchased. The documentationof the purchases includes recording the SKU code, the company/store,where the item/service was purchased, and/or other information. Thedocumentation enables a company/manufacturer/store to provide marketing(e.g., coupons) and recall information to the user. The financialmanagement tool is able to include any and/or all financial aspects of auser's life. The aspects are able to be classified such as lines ofcredit/payment, expenses, income, and so on. The financial managementtool is able to be implemented using a universal card.

The universal card is able to store information for any number of linesof credit or other sources of funds. For example, a user has 3 creditcards and a debit card, and when a user uses the universal card, theuniversal card automatically determines the appropriate line of creditto use. Furthering the example, the 3 credit cards include a Target®credit card, a Visa® credit card, and a Discover® credit card, and whenpurchasing items at Target®, the Target® credit card information isautomatically selected for payment since it provides the user a 5%discount on all items, but when at a gas station, the Visa® credit cardprovides double points, so that credit card information is automaticallyselected for payment. The method of automatic selections is able to beimplemented in any manner such as user-specified and then automatically,computer-determined, or a combination thereof. For example, theuniversal card first determines which line of credit is usable at thislocation (e.g., if Store X does not accept Discover® cards, then that isremoved from the options list). Furthering the example, a user is ableto specify that they prefer cash discounts over credit card points, sothe universal card is able to prioritize cash discounts over points. Theuniversal card is able to intelligently compare 3× points versus 2×points versus 1× points, and select the line of credit which providesthe highest amount/number of points. The universal card is able to storeand/or access a set of rules or other algorithm which determines whichpayment source is utilized.

The universal card is able to compare the purchase price of theitems/services with the amount of credit available, and if the purchaseprice exceeds the amount of credit available, then the universal cardwould not use that line of credit or is able to divide the purchase overmultiple lines of credit.

Any combination of priorities, preferences, analysis, learning,selections, implementations and/or other factors are able to beanalyzed, input, determined, stored and/or used.

In some embodiments, the universal card includes a processor, memory andprogramming to perform the analysis and make a decision, and in someembodiments, the universal card sends information to a system (e.g.,server device, mobile device) to perform the analysis and make adecision.

In some embodiments, the universal card is usable similar to creditcards with a magnetic strip to be swiped, a microchip to be insertedinto a microchip reader, and/or the microchip to be detected/read basedon a tap by a microchip reader. In some embodiments, a digital versionof the universal card is stored on a mobile device (e.g., smart phone,smart watch), so that the user does not need to carry a physical card.In some embodiments, the universal card is used in conjunction withApple Pay, Google Pay, and/or similar digital payment systems.

In some embodiments, a physical pay station is implemented to utilizethe universal card and/or another user recognition system. For example,the pay station includes a retina scanner, a fingerprint scanner and/orother biometric scanner to determine who the user is, and then triggerthe automatic payment based on the lines of credit associated with theparticular user. In some embodiments, the pay station includes a pulsedetection implementation to provide against specific types offingerprint theft or other theft.

As mentioned, the management tool is able to include many sources forpayment such as credit cards, debit cards, house lines of credit,business lines of credit, checking accounts, savings accounts, digitalpayment accounts (e.g., PayPal), digital business accounts (e.g.,Amazon/Synchrony bank), bitcoin accounts, gift cards, stock tradingaccounts, retirement accounts, social security accounts, governmentassistance accounts, and/or any other financial sources.

In some embodiments, the management tool is configured to communicateamong the many payment sources to exchange payments that otherwise wouldnot be exchangeable. For example, if a user has a Starbucks® gift card,the user is able to input that gift card into the management tool, andthe management tool is able to perform a background transaction wherethe gift card is usable at a non-Starbucks location. Behind the scenes,the financial organizations are able to perform the transactions suchthat each location is made whole. In an example, using a peer-to-peersystem, when another user purchases an item from Starbucks®, the giftcard of the current user is applied to that purchase, and the monetarytransaction from the other user is transferred in a manner that thecurrent user is able to purchase from the non-Starbucks location.

The management tool is able to record and store many sources ofexpenses/debts such as by tracking all of the purchases a user makes atphysical locations and digital locations. The details of the purchasesare able to be as specific or as general as desired or needed. Forexample, a supermarket purchase is able to include which items werepurchased, the date of the purchase, the expiration dates of the itemspurchased, how frequently the items are purchased (e.g., based onhistorical purchase information), trends of purchases, how the itemswere purchased, the location of the purchase, and so on. Otherexpenses/debts are able to be recorded by the management tool such as ahouse mortgage, car loan, business loan, other loans, child support,spousal support, utilities, activities, health insurance, and otherdebts.

The management tool is able to record and store many sources of incomesuch as occupational income, rental income, stock/bond income, andothers.

Based on all of the financial information available to the managementtool, the management tool is able to assist a user in paying for items,purchasing items, determining which items to purchase or not, andproviding additional information. For example, a user's debt-to-incomeratio is able to be calculated and used to assist in making purchasessuch as purchasing a house, and guiding the user to a house that iswithin the user's budget.

The management tool is able to be used to prevent financial crime. Forexample, if an anomalous purchase is detected, additional verificationis able to be requested, an alert is able to be triggered, and/or thepurchase is able to be blocked. For example, if a purchase is detectedin a country where the user is not located, then an alert is able to besent to the user's phone, where the user is required to input a code toverify that he is the user attempting to make the purchase.

Based on the financial information of a user, targeted marketing is ableto be implemented. Not only is the marketing based on a user'spurchases, which will be known using the management tool, but themarketing is able to be based on the user's current financial situation,which enables more effective targeting. For example, a user with a lowdebt-to-income ratio is able to be marketed more expensive items,whereas a user with a high debt-to-income ratio is marketed lessexpensive items.

The management tool is able to be used for tax planning purposes to bedocumented into a Schedule C on a 1040 form. For example, if themanagement tool is used for a business, and the user (business owner)purchases items for the business, the purchase is an expense for thatbusiness. At the end of the year, the management tool is able to providea detailed accounting of the income and expenses throughout the year.

The management tool is able to perform currency exchanges. For example,if the user travels to another country, the management tool is able topay in the currency of the current country, regardless of the user'scountry of origin.

The management tool is able to be used to as a money exchange (e.g.,person to person, person to business, or business to business).

All of the information is gathered automatically by the management toolsuch that the user does not need to manually enter information. Themanagement tool is able to perform all of the transactions describedherein in real-time.

In some embodiments, a user subscribes to gain access to the managementtool.

A management company providing the management tool is able to receive asubscription payment (e.g., monthly, yearly, one-time). The managementcompany is also able to receive a percentage of a purchase (e.g., 3% ofthe purchase price goes to the management company). The managementcompany is also able to receive referral fees or marketing fees based onthe directed marketing to the subscribers.

In some embodiments, the management tool analyzes and detects patternsof purchases by a user, and automatically suggests or makes purchasesbased on the detected patterns. For example, the management tooldetermines after a month of analysis, that a user purchases a gallon ofmilk every Sunday from Store X, so the management tool provides offersto have milk delivered once a week, or enables milk to be available in apre-paid pickup from Store X every Sunday.

FIG. 1 illustrates a flowchart of a method of implementing a managementsystem according to some embodiments. In the step 100, the managementsystem is configured for a user. Configuring the management system isable to be performed manually, automatically or semi-automatically.Configuring is able to include a user subscribing to the managementsystem. Subscribing is able to be performed similarly to othersubscriptions such as inputting personal information and/or retrievingpersonal information (e.g., from a social networking site). Aftersubscribing, the user's financial information is acquired. The user isable to manually input information such as credit card information, bankaccount information, and/or any other financial information. In asemi-automatic implementation, the user is able to manually enter somefinancial information, and the system (e.g., server) is able to acquireadditional financial information of the user. In another example, theuser provides his social security number, and the system retrievesbanking information associated with the user, but the user inputs giftcard information and other information not found by the automatedsearch. In an automatic implementation, the system automaticallyretrieves the user's financial information. For example, based on facialrecognition (or other biometric recognition), the system determines whothe user is, and then accesses financial information for that user bycommunicating with banks, credit card companies, and other financialcompanies.

Configuring the management system is able to include providing personalpreferences and/or automatically determining which line of credit isused to pay for which goods/services. For example, a user is able tospecify which line of credit is utilized by the management system whenpurchasing items at which location. Similarly, the management system isable to automatically determine which line of credit is utilized atwhich location. Since the management system is able to include manysources of credit/payment, the management system is able to prioritizethe sources of credit/payment. For example, if the management system ismanaging gift cards for the user, those gift cards may be used up firstsince they may have an expiration date. In another example, lines ofcredit which provide the highest discount or rewards are utilized. Anexemplary priority list includes:

1. Gift cards

2. Lines of credit with a purchase discount

3. Lines of credit with a monetary reward

4. Lines of credit with the highest point reward

5. Checking account (default)

In another example, a table or other data structure is utilized todetermine which credit/payment source is used for which purchase/store.An exemplary table is shown:

Store Credit/Payment Source Target Target card Macy's Visa card Old NavyVisa card Lucky Mastercard cardBy matching up the store with the credit/payment source preemptively,the process of determining the appropriate card to use is moreefficient, and a determination is not necessary while a purchase isbeing made. In some embodiments, to further optimize the process, afterdetermining the credit/payment sources for a user, the stores within aspecified area (e.g., 20 mile radius) are analyzed and added to the datastructure with the corresponding selected credit/payment source. In someembodiments, using GPS or other geolocation implementation, the systemis able to detect that a user is near a certain location (e.g.,business), and is able to preemptively determine the most beneficialcredit/payment source for that location. For example, if the usertravels and based on GPS, it is determined that the user is visitingStore X, the system is able to perform the analysis to determine thecredit card with the best perks for Store X, and saves the informationin the data structure, so that when the user purchases items, theappropriate credit/payment source is already determined.

In the step 102, the management system is utilized. Utilizing themanagement system is able to include many different features such asmaking a payment, automatically making additional purchases, providingtargeted marketing, and any other features discussed herein. Asmentioned in terms of configuring the management system, when a usermakes a purchase, the management system determines where the payment iscoming from. Based on preferences/priorities, the most financiallybeneficial source of credit/payment is selected. For example, when auser goes to a store and uses that store's line of credit, they may begiven a discount on the purchase, so it would be most beneficial to usethat store line of credit. The management system is able to include setsof rules (e.g., in a database/table format) which determine which lineof credit to use. The rules/criteria are able to be organized andimplemented in any manner such as specific and general rules. Forexample, the rules are able to specify: use line of credit A for StoresX, Y, Z and line of credit B for Stores J, K, L. In another example, therules are able to specify: use line of credit A for stores in thegrocery category, and line of credit B for gas stations and sportinggoods stores. If a purchase does not fall in a category, a default lineof credit/payment is able to be used. In some embodiments, the systemuses a learning algorithm to determine which line of credit to use foreach store. The rules/criteria are able to be stored/implemented on aserver device, a user device (e.g., smart phone), in a universal card,another device, and/or a combination thereof.

Since the management system monitors/tracks the purchases by the user,the management system is able to determine patterns of purchases andmake projections for future purchases, and make those future purchasesat the appropriate times. In some embodiments, the automated purchasingis able to be utilized with an automated store and an automated deliveryservice to have the purchased items delivered to a user.

The management system is also able to enable/perform targetedadvertising based on the user's purchases and other monitoredinformation. As described, targeted advertising is able to includemonitoring and analyzing the user's purchases, as well as monitoring andanalyzing other financial information of the user. For example, thesystem monitors and tracks all of the individual items purchased by theuser including any additional helpful information such as whenpurchased, how often purchased, purchased at which store, coupon used,are there any complementary items purchased/to be purchased (e.g.,hamburger patties and buns), SKU number, expiration date, and/or anyother information. The system is also able to monitor and analyze theuser's income, other family member income, expenses, bank accountinformation and other financial information which may be used to providean advertisement that specifically targets the user. The targetedadvertisement is able to be appropriately timed (e.g., when thepreviously purchased product is about to expire), based on the financialstatus of the user, to provide a complement to a previously purchaseditem, based on a special event (e.g., birthday, anniversary, child'sbirth) and/or any other relevant information. The targeted advertisingis able to be based on any characteristic of the user such assex/gender, age, marital/relationship status, and/or any othercharacteristics. The targeted advertising is able to be presented to theuser in any manner such as a mobile device (or any device) associatedwith the subscription (e.g., via corresponding login information orsocial networking information).

The management tool is able to be used to digitalize and store alltransactions on receipts of a consumer/user. Any aspect of a transactionof a user, consumer, business, and/or other entity is able to be storedusing the management tool. Aspects of the transaction include thegoods/services purchased, the time/date of the purchase, the costsinvolved (e.g., price paid by consumer, and retail cost, wholesale cost,profit for business).

The management tool enables users to sell/buy products/services,including making recommendations of products/services to buy/sell. Theuser-to-user transactions are able to be stored for the buyer andseller. The recommendations are able to be based on previously purchaseditems. For example, if a consumer purchases an item that usesreplaceable items (e.g., a coffee maker), thenrecommendations/advertisements or other targeted messaging is able to beprovided to the consumer by the management tool (or another servicewhich accesses data acquired by the management tool). Therecommendations are able to be based on any information/characteristics(e.g., age/gender) similar to the targeted advertising. In someembodiments, the management tool implements a social networking aspectto connect users with items that are recommended to sell and topurchase. For example, if User A has an item that he would like to sellor has been recommended to sell by the management tool, and User B wouldlike to purchase that item or has been recommended to purchase thatitem, then the management tool is able to connect User A and User B. Insome embodiments, the management tool connects the users regardless oftheir previous relationship (e.g., possibly not related), and in someembodiments, the management tool only connects the users if they have apre-existing relationship (e.g., are in each other's social network,have friended each other).

In some embodiments, fewer or additional steps are implemented. In someembodiments, the order of the steps is modified.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method of utilizing a managementsystem for payment according to some embodiments. In the step 200,financial information is loaded/retrieved. As described herein, thefinancial information is able to be retrieved in any manner such asbeing manually input by a user, and/or retrieved automatically using themanagement system from financial institutions. In some embodiments,retrieving the financial information includes many types of financialinformation as described herein such as income, credit, expenses, giftcards and more. The financial information is retrieved by and stored ona device such as a universal card, a user device (e.g., smart phone)and/or a server.

In the step 202, a payment request is triggered. The payment request isable to be triggered in any manner such as at a grocery store, where auser is requested to pay for his groceries. The payment request is ableto be triggered by a standard payment processing device (e.g., a creditcard reader), an online payment app, a pay station, and/or any otherdevice. For example, the payment request includes: pay $53.25 to StoreX. Additional information is able to be included in the payment requestsuch as specific items, the date, the address of the store, and/or otherinformation, in some embodiments. After a payment request is triggeredby a payment processing device (or other device), the payment request topayment source is able to be triggered by a device such as a universalcard, a user device (e.g., smart phone) and/or a server.

In the step 204, a source for the payment is determined and accessed.Upon receiving the payment request which is able to include specificinformation such as the location of the request, the management systemdetermines which source for the payment to be used. As described herein,the management system is able to include a database or data structurefor determining which payment source to be used for each purchaselocation. Determining and accessing the payment source is able to befrom a device such as a universal card, a user device (e.g., smartphone) and/or a server.

In the step 206, the payment is made using the determined paymentsource. For example, the selected credit card information is utilized topay the store, and the transaction is completed. The payment occurs byaccessing (via a device) the payment source and receiving paymentinformation from that source. In some embodiments, the order of thesteps is modified. In some embodiments, fewer or additional steps areimplemented.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a universal card according to someembodiments. The universal card 300 is able to be shaped similar to acredit card so that it is usable in standard credit card readers. Theuniversal card 300 is able to include a microchip 302 which is able tobe programmed to perform the management system tasks and/or communicatewith a server device or another device to perform the management systemtasks.

FIG. 4 illustrates a back view of a universal card according to someembodiments. The universal card 300 is also able to have a magneticstrip 304 similar to credit cards. The magnetic strip 304 is able to beswiped, and then based on the swipe, a server device or another deviceis able to be triggered that a payment is to be made. The server deviceor other device then determines from which payment source the paymentshould come from, and generates the payment information.

FIG. 5 illustrates a mobile device according to some embodiments. Themobile device 500 is able to be any mobile device such as a smart phone,a smart watch, and an autonomous vehicle. The mobile device 500 is ableto be configured to implement the management system described herein.When a payment request is received, the management system on the mobiledevice 500 is able to perform the steps of providing a payment from apayment source based on the criteria/rules of the management system. Themobile device 500 is able to be used similar to Apple Pay or Google Payin terms of receiving a payment request from a store's pay station whichaccepts digital payment. Unlike the previous payment systems, themanagement system is able to store/access many payment sources andprovide the payment source that is most beneficial to the user. Themanagement system is also able to be implemented on other devices aswell (e.g., personal computer).

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of a pay station according to someembodiments. The pay station 600 is able to include a retina scanner602, a magnetic strip reader 604, a fingerprint 606 scanner, a chipreader 608 and/or any other device for payment receipt and/or security.The pay station 600 is able to include a processor, memory andprogramming to perform digital payments (e.g., Apple Pay) from a mobiledevice 500 and/or perform other functions. The pay station 600 is ableto receive the universal card 300 using the magnetic strip reader 604,the chip reader 608 and/or the digital payment programming. The retinascanner 602 and/or the fingerprint scanner 608 are able to be used foruser verification.

In some embodiments, the retina scanner 602 and/or the fingerprintscanner 608 are able to include a pulse detection mechanism to preventfraud. Pulse detection or other determinations that a fake finger is notbeing used is able to include laser triangulation and utilizing lightwithin the fingerprint detection device to measure internal bodilyfeatures of the finger such as blood movement. For example, thefingerprint scanner uses a laser to detect movement of internalstructures (e.g., veins) by triggering a laser, then detectingreflections of the laser including an amount of time for the reflectionsto be received, measuring a delta in reflection time, and if there is achange (e.g., above a threshold), then the change is due to movement ofinternal structures such as due to blood flow, which indicates that theuser is alive. A similar system is able to be included in the retinascanner.

In some embodiments, the management system is able to be used with thefingerprint scanner 608 and/or retina scanner 602 without the universalcard 300. For example, a user places his finger in the fingerprintscanner 608 which is able to identify the user, and then based on theuser identification, determine that the user has access to themanagement system which then automatically selects the appropriatepayment source. Any other security measures are able to be utilized toprevent misuse and theft of a user's identity.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an autonomous delivery systemimplementing the management system according to some embodiments. Basedon a user's purchase history which is able to be recorded and analyzedby the management system, the management system is able to utilize anautonomous delivery system for future purchases. Using an autonomousdelivery system, items at a store 704 are able to be gathered andtransported using a vehicle 702 to the user's house 700. The store 704is able to be the store that the user has previously shopped at or acomparable store as determined by the management system and/or the user.In some embodiments, the management system does price comparisons ofstores to help determine the best prices for comparable items. The store704 is able to be an automated store where devices/systems are able togather items for delivery. The store 704 is able to be a non-automatedstore where a human gathers the items for delivery. Once the items aregathered, the items are transported using a vehicle 702. The vehicle 702is able to be any vehicle such as an autonomous car/truck, a drone(autonomous or not), a non-autonomous car/truck with a driver andothers. The vehicle 702 is used to deliver the items at the user's house700 or another destination.

In an example of a fully automated system, an autonomous store 704utilizes machinery such as robots and conveyor belts to move items intoa transport device (e.g., a box). The gathered items are then placed inor are retrieved by a vehicle 702 (e.g., autonomous drone) which is ableto utilize mapping information and GPS to transport the items to theuser's house 700. In some implementations, the vehicle 702 leaves theitems at the user's doorstep or another location. In someimplementations, the vehicle 702 (e.g., drone) is able to enter thehouse automatically (e.g., via a digital doorlock which is accessible bythe automated vehicle, and place the items in the refrigerator and/orother locations inside the house. Upon completing the delivery, thevehicle 702 is able to leave the house, lock the digital lock, andreturn to the store 704 or another location.

Any aspects of a delivery system using the management system are able tobe performed manually or autonomously.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computing deviceconfigured to implement the management system according to someembodiments. The computing device 800 is able to be used to acquire,store, compute, process, communicate and/or display information. Thecomputing device 800 is able to implement any of the management systemaspects. In general, a hardware structure suitable for implementing thecomputing device 800 includes a network interface 802, a memory 804, aprocessor 806, I/O device(s) 808, a bus 810 and a storage device 812.The choice of processor is not critical as long as a suitable processorwith sufficient speed is chosen. The memory 804 is able to be anyconventional computer memory known in the art. The storage device 812 isable to include a hard drive, CDROM, CDRW, DVD, DVDRW, High Definitiondisc/drive, ultra-HD drive, flash memory card or any other storagedevice. The computing device 800 is able to include one or more networkinterfaces 802. An example of a network interface includes a networkcard connected to an Ethernet or other type of LAN. The I/O device(s)808 are able to include one or more of the following: keyboard, mouse,monitor, screen, printer, modem, touchscreen, button interface and otherdevices. Management system application(s) 830 used to implement themanagement system method are likely to be stored in the storage device812 and memory 804 and processed as applications are typicallyprocessed. More or fewer components shown in FIG. 8 are able to beincluded in the computing device 800. In some embodiments, managementsystem hardware 820 is included. Although the computing device 800 inFIG. 8 includes applications 830 and hardware 820 for the managementsystem, the management system is able to be implemented on a computingdevice in hardware, firmware, software or any combination thereof. Forexample, in some embodiments, the management system applications 830 areprogrammed in a memory and executed using a processor. In anotherexample, in some embodiments, the management system hardware 820 isprogrammed hardware logic including gates specifically designed toimplement the management system.

In some embodiments, the management system application(s) 830 includeseveral applications and/or modules. In some embodiments, modulesinclude one or more sub-modules as well. In some embodiments, fewer oradditional modules are able to be included.

Examples of suitable computing devices include a personal computer, alaptop computer, a computer workstation, a server, a mainframe computer,a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular/mobiletelephone, a smart appliance, a gaming console, a digital camera, adigital camcorder, a camera phone, a smart phone, a portable musicplayer, a tablet computer, a mobile device, a video player, a video discwriter/player (e.g., DVD writer/player, high definition discwriter/player, ultra high definition disc writer/player), a television,a home entertainment system, an augmented reality device, a virtualreality device, smart jewelry (e.g., smart watch), a vehicle (e.g., aself-driving vehicle), a universal card, a pay station, or any othersuitable computing device.

To utilize the management system, a user inputs financial informationsuch as credit card numbers and bank account information, and/orfinancial information is able to be retrieved automatically. Themanagement system is able to be implemented with user assistance orautomatically without user involvement.

In operation, the management system enables a user to manage the user'sfinances in a variety of ways including paying for goods and servicesusing a desired line of credit or other account. The management systemis also able to be used to provide targeted advertising based on theuser's purchases. An autonomous system is able to utilize the managementsystem to provide users with goods and services at appropriate times.

The present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding ofprinciples of construction and operation of the invention. Suchreference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is notintended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will bereadily apparent to one skilled in the art that other variousmodifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustrationwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method programmed in a non-transitory memory ofa device comprising: retrieving financial information; triggering apayment request; accessing and determining a source for a payment forthe payment request from a stored plurality of payment sources; andproviding the payment, wherein triggering a payment request includes atleast one of: performing a fingerprint scan with life verification, andperforming a retina scan with life verification, wherein the lifeverification includes using a laser to detect movement of internalstructures, detecting reflections of the laser including timing ofreceiving the reflections, measuring a delta in the reflection times,and if the delta is detected, then it is determined the user is alive.2. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving the financial informationincludes receiving input from a user.
 3. The method of claim 1 whereinretrieving the financial information includes searching for andaccessing the financial information based on a unique user identifier.4. The method of claim 1 wherein triggering a payment request includesidentifying a user based on at least one of: receiving a universalpayment card; and receiving information from a smart device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein accessing and determining the source for thepayment for the payment request includes comparing rewards for lines ofcredit and determining which reward is the greatest for a user andselecting a line of credit with the greatest reward.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising implementing targeted advertising based onthe payment request, wherein the payment request includes purchase orderinformation.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising implementing anautonomous system to deliver goods, including utilizing learning basedon previous purchases to determine the goods to be delivered, sending acommunication to a store to purchase the goods where the store uses anautomated system to retrieve the goods and place the goods for deliveryby an autonomous vehicle which delivers the goods to a user's residence.8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving subscriptioninformation from a user.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprisinganalyzing previous purchases of a user including detecting a pattern ofpurchases.
 10. An apparatus comprising: a credit card reader configuredfor reading a universal payment card; a smart device receiver configuredfor receiving information from a smart device; a biometric readerconfigured for receiving fingerprint information, retina information,and/or additional biometric information; a non-transitory memory forstoring an application, the application for: triggering a paymentrequest; and receiving a payment for the payment request from one of astored plurality of sources automatically determined for a user, whereintriggering a payment request includes at least one of: performing afingerprint scan with life verification, and performing a retina scanwith life verification, wherein the life verification includes using alaser to detect movement of internal structures, detecting reflectionsof the laser including timing of receiving the reflections, measuring adelta in the reflection times, and if the delta is detected, then it isdetermined the user is alive; and a processor coupled to the memory, theprocessor configured for processing the application.
 11. The apparatusof claim 10 wherein the biometric reader is further configured forperforming life verification which includes using a laser to detectmovement of internal structures, detecting reflections of the laserincluding timing of receiving the reflections, measuring a delta in thereflection times, and if the delta is detected, then it is determinedthe user is alive.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein receiving thepayment from the source automatically determined for the user includes:comparing rewards for lines of credit, determining which reward is thegreatest for the user and selecting a line of credit with the greatestreward.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the application is furtherconfigured for implementing targeted advertising based on the paymentrequest, wherein the payment request includes purchase orderinformation.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the application isfurther configured for implementing an autonomous system to delivergoods, including utilizing learning based on previous purchases todetermine the goods to be delivered, sending a communication to a storeto purchase the goods where the store uses an automated system toretrieve the goods and place the goods for delivery by an autonomousvehicle which delivers the goods to a user's residence.
 15. A methodprogrammed in a non-transitory memory of a device comprising: retrievingfinancial information including receiving input from a user andsearching for and accessing the financial information based on a uniqueuser identifier; identifying a user based on at least one of: performinga fingerprint scan with life verification; and performing a retina scanwith life verification, wherein the life verification includes using alaser to detect movement of internal structures, detecting reflectionsof the laser including timing of receiving the reflections, measuring adelta in the reflection times, and if the delta is detected, then it isdetermined the user is alive; triggering a payment request afteridentifying the user; accessing and determining a source for a paymentfor the payment request from a stored plurality of payment sources bycomparing rewards for each payment source and determining which rewardbest meets a predetermined criteria and selecting the payment sourceassociated with the reward that best meets the predetermined criteria;and providing the payment.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein thepredetermined criteria comprises a greatest financial reward and furtherwherein the reward that best meets the predetermined is the reward thatprovides the greatest financial reward.
 17. The method of claim 15further comprising implementing targeted advertising based on thepayment request, wherein the payment request includes purchase orderinformation.
 18. The method of claim 15 further comprising implementingan autonomous system to deliver goods, including utilizing learningbased on previous purchases to determine the goods to be delivered,sending a communication to a store to purchase the goods where the storeuses an automated system to retrieve the goods and place the goods fordelivery by an autonomous vehicle which delivers the goods to a user'sresidence.
 19. The method of claim 15 further analyzing previouspurchases of the user including detecting a pattern of purchases.